Children of Lena Thompson James (1871-1952) and Claudius Cabell Dudley (1870-1933)
of Marion County, Missouri:
1. Dorothy Dudley: born October 17, 1896 in Marion County, Missouri; married in
1920 to Frank W. Seibel (1890-1978); died September 4, 1989 (aged 92) in Hannibal,
Marion County, Missouri; buried at Providence Cemetery, Marion County, Missouri;
known children include: Dorothy Seibel.
2. James Rogers Dudley: born December 25, 1898 in Palmyra, Marion County, Missouri;
first marriage in 1950 to Margaret Florance (1908-1994); second marriage to Emily
B. (1898-1970); died July 29, 1993 (aged 94) in Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia;
buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 5, Site 20 in Arlington, Arlington
County, Virginia.
3. Clayton Rodes Dudley: born January 17, 1904 in Marion County, Missouri; married
December 25, 1932 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California to Marjorie Wallace
(1905-1993), daughter of Edward Harold Wallace (1872-1922) and Eleanor Dill (1874-1956);
died January 13, 1995 in Seattle, King County, Washington; known children include
Jean Dudley and James Dudley.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notes:
Lena Thompson James (1871-1952) was the daughter of Asa James (1821-1909) of Loudoun
County, Virginia and Susan Virginia Clayton (1828-1908) of Marion County, Missouri.
James Rogers "Jim" Dudley (1898-1993) was a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy. Upon
reaching adulthood Jim attended William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, but
on or about 1916 he enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Although
Jim was considered a 1921 graduate of the Naval Academy he actually graduated in
1920 following the entrance of the United States in April of 1917 into World War
I. Upon graduation Jim was accorded the rank of Lieutenant and began his career
in Pensacola, Florida where he served as a pilot in training. He continued his aviation
training through 1926 in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1930 Jim achieved the designation
of Naval Aviator No. 3676. Between the years of 1935 and 1936 Jim served as Lieutenant
on board the USS New York. From 1936 to 1940 Jim served as a Lieutenant Commander
on the Council Review Board for the Secretary of the Navy. In 1940 Jim was assigned
the position of Lieutenant Commander on board the USS Balard. Following the outbreak
of World War II in 1941, Jim continued to serve on board the USS Balard through 1942.
In 1942 Jim was promoted to the rank of Commander and served on board the USS Lexington
through the Battle of the Coral Sea in May of 1942. Following the sinking of the
USS Lexington Jim was promoted to the rank of Captain and from September 10, 1943
to October 12, 1944 he served as Captain of the USS Core during which time the Core
was involved in anti-submarine operations and was responsible for transporting aircraft
to Great Britain In 1945 Jim was assigned the position of commander of the Pearl
Harbor Navel Air Station in Hawaii. In 1947 Jim was reassigned as the chief staff
officer of the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Stockton, California. There he served through
1949 when he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Jim continued to serve as
chief staff officer of the Pacific Reserve Fleet until the outbreak of the Korean
War in 1950 when he was reassigned to the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Jim honorably
retired from the United States Navy in 1953 following the conclusion of the Korean
War and more than 37 years of service. After his retirement Jim taught math at Loudoun
County High School in Virginia. He was a junior warden of St. James Episcopal Church
in Leesburg, Virginia, a volunteer with Meals on Wheels in Loudoun County and a member
of the Leesburg Lions Club. He was also a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans,
the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Jim was also a dedicated James
family historian and helped document much of the family’s early colonial history.
Clayton Rodes Dudley (1904-1995) was also a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy. In 1940,
Clayton was a communications officer stationed at the Long Beach Navel Shipyard in
Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California. At the time he was residing with his
wife Margorie, daughter Jean and son James in the residence of his brother-in-law,
Admiral Henry Morris Marshal. In 1945 Clayton attained the rank of Captain. During
the 1950’s he served on board the Forrestal-class super aircraft carrier, the U.S.S.
Saratoga. By 1957 he had obtained the rank of Rear Admiral.
Sources:
Family Records of Wanda “Jean” Ellis Powers of Hannibal, Missouri. Jean is the great
grandniece of Lena Thompson James (1871-1952).
RADML James Dudley - Military Timeline at TogetherWeServed.com.
Dorothy (Dudley) Seibel (1896-1989), Find A Grave Memorial, ID No. 181218622, by
Kay, added July 10, 2017.
Frank W. Seibel (1890-1978), Id., Memorial ID No. 181218826, by Kay, added July 10,
2017.
RADM James Rogers Dudley (1898-1993), Id., Memorial ID No. 60382152, by Russ Jacobs,
added October 20, 2010.
Photos:
Dorothy (Dudley) Seibel (1896-1989)
James Rogers Dudley, graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1921
Photo of Rear Admiral James Rodgers “Jim” Dudley circa 1950.
Photo of Captain Clayton Rodes Dudley taken 1955.
Updated: February 3, 2021
